The Big Friendly Mercenaries
by Zabbie
Summary: When the RED teams storms the BLU base, they did not expect to find a prisoner, apparently induced in an artificial coma, lying in a hidden pod. When they take her back to their base, they learn that Kate knows more about them than she should. Miss Pauling seems to know who the girl is, but keeps it a secret, leaving the mercs to keep an eye on their prisoner for the time being...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everbody! Here is my second story in process - I hope you'll enjoy it. I will write it in parallel with my other one, Tales of Mercenaries. Feel free to let me know what you think in the reviews sections!**

Things hadn't been that easy in a long time. Today of all day, for the first time in what seemed to have been an eternity, the RED team finally got the upper hand on the BLUs, a feeling every crimson mercenary was taking a second to enjoy before reloading their guns and jumping back into battle. Demoman – who, for once, was de-intoxicated by the adrenalin pumping into his veins – shot his sticky bombs at the door and detonated them at the BLU Heavy and Medic came out; their dismantled limbs hadn't even touched the ground, when the BLU Scout got hit by one of the RED Soldier's rockets. RED Heavy, übercharged by a pumped up Medic, barged in the basement with a roar as he mowed don anything standing in his way: a BLU Demoman and a BLU Engineer who literally got cut off in half alongside his sentries. Just as the übercharge came to an end, BLU Spy attempted a move: a loud bang detonated in the air, before his body fell to the ground at the Medic's feet. Two hundred meters from there, the RED Sniper smirked. Silence finally cloaked the room as the rest of the RED team made their way to the BLU command centre: Scout and the Engineer's guns were still smoking but their satisfied smile was enough for their teammates, and Spy was cleaning the blood off his blade when he appeared at their side. Pyro ran in, exhilarated, followed by Sniper.

"Great job everybody. Seems like we're finally back in the game." Engie smiled.

"They definitely didn't see dat one comin'!" Scout exclaimed, rubbing his nose with pride.

"Da. Team did good work today." Heavy nodded.

"Let us not get ahead of ourselves, gentlemen." Spy's voice reminded them that the mission wasn't quite over yet. "We still need to get hold of their intelligence. We should get to it before they respawn."

"Aye, let me handle this, lads."

All moved back while Demo stuck his bombs all around the doorframe. The detonation made the heavy metal door burst out of its frame and fall with a loud cracking sound that resonated in the now open room behind it. Spy took the lead, carefully stepping in and found the room clear of any threat. He waved at the rest of the team and they followed in, only to find a staircase leading to what looked like a laboratory. Medic had a quick look around, visibly interested in the impressive display of scientific equipment, while Engie made his way to the computers and looked at the screens, trying to figure out what the other team had been working on before the battle broke out. The others roamed around the room, keeping an eye out just in case.

"Found anything, Doc?" Engie asked without raising his head from the computer.

"Unfortunately I cannot be sure. Zhis looks like a highly specialized laboratory – zhe last time I saw zhis kind of equipment was in a very particular type of facility. Let us say zhe experiment subjects rarely got out once zhey got in."

"Human experiments, huh? You might wanna take a look at this."

Medic walked up to Engie and glanced at the screens. He raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting. It seems zhat they have not been able to do any research recently, but all of zhis looks very new and ready for use."

"D'ya think they were getting ready to get back into business?"

" _Das weiss ich nicht, mein Freund_. But zhis does not look good."

"OH BOY, whaddid I do?!"

The lab's machinery let out a buzzing sound as Scout jumped back after accidentally pressing a button on the wall he was leaning on. Before the mercs could react, a whole pan of the wall move forward a couple of inches, and fumed smoke as it got pulled up. Revealing a secret cavity, the wall disappeared above their heads and a large, human size pod on rails made its way towards them. Momentarily blinded by the smoke, the mercs couldn't figure out what it was or what it could possibly contain, but as soon as the fumes dissipated, Pyro came closer and peeped into the glass case on top of the pod. She immediately became agitated.

"Hm! Hmmhhmhmhmhmmhh!"

"Pyro? What is it?" Engie asked and walked up to her to have a look as well. Much to everybody's surprise, he seemed to lose all composure.

"Dang-nammit, boys! I think we just found who their next experiment was goin'to be."

Medic and the rest of the gang moved closer and looked into the pod. Some of them frowned, others raised an incredulous eyebrow, others let out a quiet "holy shit". There was someone in this pod. Lying motionless, either dead or fast asleep, was a young woman. They couldn't even say if she was breathing. _How long had she been in there?_

Engie looked at the monitor and found the activation button. He pressed it, and the glass case opened, freeing up the young woman. Medic took her pulse, while the others held their breath.

"Vell, zhis young woman is alive. Barely, but alive. Her pulse is very faint, I assume zhey put her in some sort of artificial coma vhile she vas down here."

"Damn, these guys really have a problem."

"So, whadda we do? Leave'er here?" Scout asked.

"We can't do that Scout, who knows what the gal's been through…" Engie protested.

"But we cannot know if we can trust her. Maybe her participation in these experiments was voluntary. Maybe she's on zheir side." Spy pointed out. "But the Engineer is right. We cannot leave her here. Who knows, she may have useful information for us, and I trust our Medic will find a way to revive her."

"Certainly. But I suggest ve take our precautions."

" _Naturellement_."

Her head hurt. It was excruciating. When Kate regained consciousness, all she could feel was it: the pain drilling through her skull, slowly propagating to her entire body. She couldn't even get herself to open her eyes; her eyelids were so heavy it was like they were made of lead. At first she wasn't sure if she was even awake: she could barely feel her surroundings, only aware of her body that felt like it was waking up after a very, very long sleep. Slowly, she managed to get a sense of the world around her, first by feeling the half-soft, half-hard surface the back and legs were lying on. It felt like it was curved. Was she sitting on something? Like a dentist chair? Her sense of balance coming back confirmed this feeling, and she finally opened her eyes, grudgingly mumbling when the light directed at her face blinded her. Confusedly, she heard the sound of a desk chair rolling, and footsteps getting closer.

"Ach, you're waking up, Fraulein! Can you hear me?"

 _A German accent_? Kate was way past confused. Gathering her meagre strength, she opened her eyes again and let them get accustomed to the light. Finally, she discerned a face above hers. High cheekbones, clean-shaved, piercing gaze behind the small glass, and the white collar of a medical blouse. She tried to speak, but her voice was so weak, she tried and get on her elbows to get closer to the man. She couldn't. Her arms wouldn't move. Worried that she was paralysed, she quickly started to feel the straps on the wrists. Wait. _Straps_? Feeling a sense of panic slowly invading her freshly waken system, Kate became aware of the straps maintaining her wrists, waist, and ankles to the medical chair. Frantically she looked up, getting a glance of the lab she had landed in and the medical supplies that apparently were ready for use.

"Vell vell, do not be scared Fraulein. I am glad to see you avake. Apologies about the restraining straps – just take it as a measure of precaution on our side."

Precaution? Our side? What the hell was he talking about? And why did he look so familiar?

"Let us start vith something easy. Vat is your name, meine Fraulein?"

"I… My name's Kate… Where am I? How did I get here?" She finally managed to say, a streak of panic in her weakened voice.

"Zhat is a question ve vere hoping _you_ vould answer for us. But if you vould just vait a moment, I vill inform my colleagues that you have regained consciousness. Zhey will there any moment. In zhe meantime, I will give a little something to, let's say, re-vitalise you."

Kate's eyes widened when she saw the doctor bringing a terrifyingly large syringe towards her. In a survival reflex, she tried to move, but she had forgotten she was stuck to the chair. The doctor smirked.

"Don't move, you von't feel a thing I promise."

She refrained a cry of pain when the syringe penetrated her arm. By the time the doctor was done, the door behind him opened: through the blurred veil in her eyes, Kate could see a group of men, all dressed in familiar red uniforms, coming up to them.

"Hey Doc, what did ya do to her? Is it really reasonable to give her some more stuff in her state?"

"Ach don't worry herr Engineer, zhese were mere vitamins to boost her up."

No one, Kate included, believed him. Engie sighed and Spy walked closer to her, detailing her, visibly defiant.

"She said her name vas Kate."

"Well, mademoiselle Kate. Do you know where you are right now?"

"I think I might be in trouble, but except for that, no idea." She sighed. Spy did nto reply to this curious answer, but noticed her eyes were looking at all the mercs, one after the other, as if she was recognising them. But she looked distressed, and surprised. Was she on the BLU team? Was she realising she was a prisoner of the opposite team?

"Did you administrate her the truth serum, Docteur?"

"Truth serum? Since when do we have that?"

"Since ve brought her back in here, herr Engineer. A little side-projekt I have been working on in my spare time but never could try. Not on a human subject, at least."

"Dear God…"

"Enough talking. We must find out who little girl is and why she was in basement."

"Wait what? What basement?" Kate asked, unable to process all this new information.

"We are asking the questions, mademoiselle." Spy went around her, and strapped a device around her arm that let out quiet beeps. A lie detector ? "Are you a member of the BLU team?"

"No I'm not!" She exclaimed, and Spy looked at the contraption. The light remained green. She was telling the truth.

"In this case, do you know what you were doing in zhis basement?"

"No I-I don't remember anything before waking up here and…" The contraption strapped to her arm started beeping louder, and a red light beamed up. The Spy frowned, and Kate freaked out.

"Wait a second, it's not like that, I… I remember things before waking up here, but I don't remember anything about being in a basement, or any of the events that led up to now! Last thing I remember, I was going to bed in my flat in San Francisco, and when I woke up I was here with your Medic!"

The beeping noise got quiet again, and the light switched back to green. Truth. Spy and Medic glared at each other.

"Very well. So, you have no idea who we are, and what zhis place might be?"

"… well…"

"Speak, mademoiselle. You are not in a position to lie or try to deceive us." Spy asserted, his voice cold as ice.

"I know who you guys are… but you're never going to believe me." Kate confessed, obviously terrified and conscious that anything she was going to say was going to be held against her.

"Try us."

"I know you're the Spy. The doctor is called the Medic, and this one over here is called Engineer. And there are Heavy, Scout, Demoman, Soldier, Sniper and Pyro – you guys are the mercs on the RED team, fighting against the BLU over intelligence, or control points, or whatever it is you actually do. If this is the RED base, I assume we're in Teufort, or somewhere nearby?"

Baffled, none of the mercs reacted right away.

"How can she know that? TRAITOR. WE HAVE A TRAITOR IN OUR MIDST." Soldier started shouting, only to be shut down by a deadly stare from the Spy.

"This is more information than most people have about us, including the BLU team. Would you care to explain how you came to be in possession of such information mademoiselle? And remember: you cannot lie to us."

"You're ,ever going to believe me." Her voice was but a desperate squeak, but she sighed, and finally let out the absurd truth. "Oh God, I can't believe I'm going to say this. I know you guys from a videogame. It's called Team Fortress 2, and you guys are the playable characters."

That was not the answer Spy had expected. Stupefied, all the mercs looked at the lie detector. Nothing. _How was it possible_?

"Well Medic, you're the expert here. Any idea what in Heaven's name just happened back there?"

"Herr Engineer, I'm afraid I do not have any more explanation than you do. My only guess at ze moment is zat somehow, zhis girl has gathered information about us, and when she was put into ze come, zhe memories of zhe information became more like a dream, which might explain why he thought she saw us in a game."

"Which could only mean that girl is a spy of some sort." Spy concluded. Engie saw in his eyes that he was ready to get this over with, and this could not be good for the poor girl they had left strapped to the chair under Demo's surveillance.

"Now wait a second Spy, maybe there's some other explanation. I suggest we contact Miss Pauling and let her know about all this mess."

The rest of the group agreed, and Spy sighed before he took up the emergency phone and called the Administrator's office. When Miss Pauling picked up, he concisely explained the situation.

"Wait a minute, Spy. So you found a young woman in a pod in the enemy's basement, and she can't remember how she got there, and she seems to have delusions?"

"Zhat is the present situation, yes. We have her under control, but we need to know what to do with her."

"What did she say her name was, again?"

"Kate. She wasn't able to give us a full name. The Docteur says her memory might still be disturbed by the artificial coma she was in."

"How old is she?" The question took Spy by surprise, but he replied.

"I don't know exactly, but around twenty-five years old, I would say."

"What does she look like?"

"Miss Pauling, I hardly think zhis is relevant to…"

" _Just answer the question, Spy_."

There was something in her voice that made Spy pause, before he replied, carefully.

"Rather tall, slim, of pale complexion. Short, burly auburn hair, brown eyes, freckles. And a small scar on her forehead."

Miss Pauling remained quiet for a moment. Spy waited, but was growing impatient. What did Miss Pauling know about the girl, if anything?

"Listen to me, Spy. _This girl cannot leave the base_ , do you hear me? You need to keep her in there, and I need you to ensure her safety."

"Pardon?" Spy exclaimed. "Miss Pauling, we found her in ze enemy's base-"

"I know Spy. I cannot tell you anything just know, but I'll need you to do as I say anyway. Think of her as your new mission: keep an eye on her at all times, find her a place to sleep, make sure she's not hurt, and I will contact you in a few days to let you know what we will do with her. Is that understood?"

Spy didn't reply right away. Something as definitely off. Miss Pauling did know who the girl was, but for some reason preferred to put her men's safety at odds rather than letting them on the secret. He cast a glance at the other room, where Kate was lying, trying to stay still despite her obvious anxiety. Who could she be, to be so important to Miss Pauling?

"Very well. We will do as you please, but don't say I didn't try to warn you."

When he hung up, all the mercs kept silent, pondering about this curious mystery. Spy was the first to react. He walked over to Kate, took out his blade, and cut the straps to free their prisoner-turned-protegee. Confused, Kate sat up and looked at him, massaging her mistreated wrists.

"What now? Aren't you going to kill me?"

"Not today. Apparently zhere is more to you zhan meets zhe eye – I would just like to know what. You will remain in our base under our watch. Try anything to run away, and we will immediately put a bullet through your brain. Am I clear?"

Kate felt as if the world was weighing on her shoulders. She desperately looked at Spy, Engie, and the others, and resigned herself to accepting the situation. However crazy and dangerous it was. It wasn't like she had a choice anyway.

"Alright. So, what do you want me to do?"


	2. Chapter 2: Kate in Wonderland

Things couldn't get any weirder, Kate thought, as she sat at the table in the common room, her hands folded on her lap and shoulders bent as if she was trying to shrink herself. No doubt that if she could have turned into a mouse and run away, she would have by now. Especially with Heavy sitting at the other end of the table, looking at her with an undecipherable look – but one that was not amiable either. After Spy's conversation with Miss Pauling, it had become evident that their prisoner was going to stick around for a little while, and no one knew how to handle this most unusual situation. They had had to help her walk to the common room, as it turned out her legs were too weak to carry her all the way there, after Medic had her take some more exams. Medic had said that she had probably spent too much time motionless in this pod, hence her (hopefully momentary) weakness, and had recommended she had something to eat. Pyro had immediately volunteered to cook, and as it turned out, Heavy was hungry too. So, Heavy sat with her. Kept an eye on her too, while the others had gathered in Spy's smoking room to discuss the situation. His massive arms crossed over his massive chest, Heavy observed the young woman, refining his opinion on her. Contrary to the others, he wasn't so prompt to defiance regarding her case: she was tall, but skinny, and one look at her sufficed to see she wasn't an athlete either. Her hands were white, long and soft, and didn't bear any mark of labour or regular use of heavy material like a weapon. He was fairly sure she'd never seen a battlefield in her life. He was also more or less certain that she wasn't an assassin or a spy either, even if their Spy was a living proof that the best of the best could deceive the smartest, most observant of men. Heavy didn't have the audacity to presume he was one of them – hell, he could barely read in his own native language and could never bring himself to learn how to read or write in English – but he knew people. He didn't talk much. But he did listen. Listening and looking was all he needed to formulate a judgement on someone, and more often than not, his opinions were astonishingly accurate. His teammates trusted him with heavy weapons, and they also knew how good a judge of character he was.

"Hmmphmphmm!" Pyro exclaimed near the stove.

"Thank you Pyro. Add more bacon for little girl. She looks like she just comes back from Siberian tundra." Heavy said in his thick Russian accent. Kate hadn't even noticed how hungry she was. When they were walking down the corridor a bit earlier, she had caught a glimpse at her reflection in a window: she had been surprised at how tired she looked. It also seemed that she had lost some weight, which wasn't surprising after a coma. How long had she been stuck in there? She raised her eyes at Heavy once more, trying to guess what he could be thinking.

"So you're… Heavy, right? The heavy weapons guy." She said, in an attempt at making conversation.

"Yes."

"Are you watching me right now? You guys still think I might run away even if I can't even stand on my own two feet?"

"No. I am hungry. And I am making sure little girl does not collapse on the floor without Medic to help."

Fair enough. And so much for conversation. Kate sighed, but Pyro popped up and laid a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. Two eggs and three strips of bacon, laid out to look like a smiley face. Surprised, Kate looked at Pyro before remembering she couldn't see her face; but Pyro made a thumb-up sign and handed Heavy his plate of sandwiches. Well. Looked like she had at least one ally, but Pyro probably saw everybody as a potential friend. As for Heavy, he didn't seem hostile to her presence, but he was hard to read. How long would she have to stay there? And why did Miss Pauling even want to keep her alive in the first place?

"If Miss Pauling wants little girl alive, she must have good reason." Heavy said, as if he'd been reading her mind. He made a brief gesture, inviting her to eat her eggs and bacon, and she obeyed quietly, hoping he'd say a bit more. Pyro sat next to her at the table, her head resting in the palms of her hands, watching Kate with insistence. Slightly awkward.

"Problem is, we fight. It can be dangerous for little girl if BLU or robots attack. But base is usually safe. We just need to decide what to do with you to make sure you are safe and stay inside."

"But… when will I be able to go home?"

Heavy didn't reply to that, but for once, she was able to read the answer in his eyes. The yolk of one of her eggs was bleeding on her bacon. Silently, she ate, processing the fact that she was now stuck in a base with nine mercenaries who obviously had had no intention of babysitting a former prisoner who had no idea how she'd landed there. Nine mercenaries she thought only existed in a videogame.

That was crazy. Everything was crazy. She was going to wake up, any minute now.

Right?

* * *

"So, Doc. D'ya have the results yet?"

"Ja herr Engineer, they are printing just now."

In Spy's smoking room, the seven other mercs had been discussing Kate's case, and as one could have expected, they all had quite different opinions on how to handle this delicate matter. As Miss Pauling had expressly ordered her protection instead of her execution, most of them were at odds as to what the next step could be. Spy was naturally the most reluctant to this whole idea, even though he knew he didn't have a choice; but letting a complete stranger, whom they had found in the enemy's base, wandering around their base, seemed to him like the worse idea of the century.

"We can lock her up. That woman is a prisoner of war!" Soldier had exclaimed.

"We just found her trapped in a _pod_ , Soldier. I ain't puttin' her in another one when she's shown no sign of bein' a threat to us." Engie had replied.

"Yeah, but what if that's the whole point? I hate ta say it but I kinda agree with fancypants over'ere. What if she's a _sleepin'agent_ or somethin'?" Scout asked.

"Och I dunnae, lads. The whole thing is making me head hurt." Demoman groaned, summing up everybody's feeling on the matter.

Medic hadn't said much, as his attention was focused on the portable printer that was delivering Kate's tests results as they spoke. A quick glance at the figures, curves and symbols on the three-pages report had him raise an eyebrow before he turned to his colleagues.

"Vell, zhis confirms my initial diagnostic. Zhe Fraulein was induced in a coma by heavy drugs, a mixture of propofol and morphine, it vould seem. I have found traces of vitamins and proteins zhat are used to feed comatose patients, nothing surprising, but zhey are not enough to maintain a patient in zheir original state very long – explaining zhe underweight. Other results show zhat her immune system has got weak, but her glands, heart, and organs seem fine… In other words, she needs to have been in zhere a long time for her body to get zhat weak."

"Can you give us an estimation?" Spy asked, lighting up a cigarette.

"If I had to guess, considering what she told me about her state prior to her coma and zhese results… At least one year."

A silent bomb was dropped. Even Scout couldn't find anything to say.

"One year." Sniper repeated, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He hadn't said a thing since the start of the debate. "Sounds like an awful long toime to me."

"Who would willingly be locked up in a pod for an entire year?" Engie pointed out. "Boys, I don't like this anymore than you do, but I'm more an'more convinced that she was forced into that mess."

"Aye, I agree with ye. The lass may have been kidnapped by the BLUs, could'nae she?"

"It's hard to say, Demo. But I think we'll learn more about what they had in mind for her when we crack into their computer. Spy, didja call Miss Pauling?"

"I did. Zhe hard drive has been sent to Hacker, we should hear from her in zhe next few days."

"Good. Hopefully she'll be able to cast some light on all this. In the meantime, I suggest we go tell miss Kate about her results, and discuss the next step."

* * *

"One year?"

Kate had repeated the words twice already, aghast. Engie had taken a chair and sat in front of her, elbows resting on his knees, visibly concerned. He had taken off his helmet and he scrubbed his bald head, unable to find a suitable answer. She looked at the mercenaries, one after the other, baffled and distressed. One-freaking-year. How was that even possible?

"But… That's madness! How about my family? I told you my name as soon as I remembered it, Kate Watkins, my parents are Bertram and Juliet Watkins, surely you've found them? They must be worried sick, or think I'm dead!"

"I'm glad you mention it, mademoiselle. I have done some research, and you would be surprised how easy it is to trace someone once you have a name and a few other details. However, I have not been able to find any trace of a Bertram or a Juliet Watkins – at least not as a married couple, not in the right country, and not of the right age to be your parents. More intriguing, I have not been able to find anything about you. There is no Kate Watkins of your age registered anywhere in San Francisco, or in the United States. And no missing person ad matches your description."

Kate felt her heart sinking down to her stomach.

"What?"

Spy considered her for a moment, his piercing gaze taking in her expression. She did not seem to act surprised. If anything, her distress seemed genuine. He cast a glance at Heavy, who imperceptibly nodded.

"Well, it seems like we are all on ze same level now, mademoiselle. We are waiting for more information to come, but it would seem zhat zhere is more to you zhan meets the eye. Even if you seem just as ignorant as we are."

Kate could feel her head spinning. How was any of this possible? She had spent one year in a coma, and now she didn't even exist in the administrative system? Or at all?

"Look, miss…" Engie started, his soft, amiable voice offering some sort of comfort to the very confused woman sitting in front of him. "I'm sure this is a lot to take in at once, as I'm sure there's some sort of explanation to all this. So here's what we're gonna do: you're gonna stay here with us, as our guest and ward, while we go and try to solve this damn mystery." Spy coughed. Engie sighed. "Still, we can't be sure that these guys didn't try to use you to harm us. So we'll have ta be extra careful. Which is why…"

"We are going to have you wear an electronic bracelet, equipped with a location chip, so zhat we always know where you are in zhe base. It's eizher zhat, or having one of us guarding you at all times. I am sure you are not keen on zhis either."

"In addition to that, ya'll be staying in Pyro's room. Don't worry, she's sweet and completely harmless, and she's always wanted ta have a roommate. Just feels safer if there's someone with you, should an attack occur at night."

Kate had listened to Spy and Engie without a word, stunned by everything that was happening. She suddenly felt terribly tired. She didn't care about sharing a room with a notorious pyromaniac, she didn't even care that she had to wear a bracelet like an ex-con or that Spy and Engie would know her whereabouts 24/7. All that didn't look like much compared to everything else. Namely, her existence had been erased from any kind of record, she'd been trapped for a year in a pod with people experimenting on her, and she now had to stay in a mercenary base in war time, she had no idea for how long.

She just really, really wanted to take a break.

* * *

Later that night, Kate was off exploring the base. Medic had said she should walk a little in order to regain her strengths faster, and Spy had put her tracking bracelet on her arm as soon as their discussion was over, so she knew he was probably watching her every moves. The others had gone back to minding their own business, and Kate had gone to the bathroom to take a well-deserved shower, change into fresh clothes (an old uniform that was too large for her) and got lost of her way back. Well, since she was lost, she might as well go off and explore. Spy would find her soon enough should she venture somewhere she wasn't supposed to.

She couldn't just sit and stay still. There was too much going on in her head, and she still hadn't been able to wrap her head around what she had learnt. It was just… too much. For anyone, really. She just wanted to be alone for a moment. She was lucky she hadn't broken down in front of the others. Or at all. Yet. It was very likely that her mind still hadn't fully accepted the unbelievable reality of the situation, as well as its dramatic consequences. She didn't exist. She had memories of her whole life, but somehow, she didn't exist. She couldn't believe that she was transported into a videogame – these things just didn't happen. Except in fanfictions, and only the really good ones could pull that off and still sound realistic. She wasn't in a fanfiction. And if she was, it definitely wasn't a very good one.

But then what?

Kate reached the end of a corridor, and faced a closed door. She was starting to feel the fatigue reaching into her legs again, so she hoped it was the common room, or a library, or anything where she could stay and think for a second without having to bear with the others' defiant or puzzled or intrigued looks. She pushed the door and turned on the light.

Fuck. She'd just found the armoury.

She'd never seen so many guns in her life. She'd barely seen any, to be honest, but she could tell that was a lot of deadly weapons in just one room. Then she realised Spy must have seen her on his monitor, and a cold sweat went down her spine. If he spotted her near this place, he would undoubtedly get the wrong idea – and she knew for a fact that he didn't like her already. She didn't need an enemy in this place, let alone one that also happens to be a trained assassin. She turned around and very nearly screamed in shock when she almost bumped into Sniper standing right behind her.

"Spook was roight. You _were_ looming around the armoury." He said, his voice so deep it was almost a groan, his eyes hidden behind the shades of his sunglasses.

"I swear it was an accident! I got lost on my way back from the bathroom, I had no idea what was behind that door…" She said very quickly, begging him with her eyes.

"Easy, Sheila. Oi know ye didn't mean to. Oi told the Spook I'd get ye back to the living room, so let's get going."

Did she hear that right? Sniper knew? Could it be that she had one other – rather unexpected – ally in the base? Without adding a word for fear of making him change his mind, she followed on his steps. The silence was deafening. So, against her best judgement, she tried to talk.

"I'm sorry about all this. I know you guys probably have better things to do than watch over a complete stranger."

"Pah. If Miss Pauling wants you ta be our new assignment, there's no arguing. Long as you behave, oi don't see why this shouldn't be easy. We'll just need ta hide ye somewhere during the assaults."

Kate couldn't say she wasn't relieved. Out of all the mercenaries, Spy and Sniper were the ones she had been most worried about. Spy clearly didn't approve of her presence here – and she couldn't blame him – but she hadn't been able to tell what Sniper was thinking. He kept his thoughts to himself for most of the discussions, and Kate had come to think that he mostly agreed with Spy but didn't want to acknowledge it – or just didn't want to waste his saliva repeating what his colleague had already said. Now she thought maybe she had been wrong. Sniper was intimidating – not like Heavy, who was all muscles and imposing and straight up scary if he got angry, she figured – but that was probably what you got after spending years in the Australian outback. Sniper was tough, quiet, moody. Somewhat of a wild cat. As long as she didn't bother him, he wouldn't mind her presence too much. Such seemed to be his attitude at the present moment.

"Oh yeah, oi nearly forgot. Oi know Spook told ye ta stay in the base, but oi've talked to him and we agreed that ye should be able ta go outside if ye want to. There's a courtyard back there, noice view on the desert. Ye've just spent one year in a bloody _box_. Ye should get some fresh air. Oi'm mostly outside myself, so I'll keep an eye on ye. Part of the deal." There was something in the way he said it that made her tick. Was it the way he said bloody box? She could have sworn she heard a streak of anger in his voice at that point. She hadn't imagined him as the sympathetic type, but when she thought about it, it was true that Sniper was an outdoors guy. The thought of someone being locked up in such a confined space for such a long time must make him cringe, one way or another. Convincing Spy to let her walk outside while he kept her under his watch was probably his way of finding a compromise between the necessary caution her presence required, and his personal feelings towards imprisonment.

"Cheers, Sniper. I could use some fresh air. Specially while we're not under attack." She pondered.

"No worries. Oi'll be in my van but oi can watch you from there. Don't stay out too long though, it's gettin' dark."

"I won't. Thank you. I really appreciate."

Sniper touched the edge of his hat and left her at the door to the courtyard, while he walked towards the parking lot – which indeed had a view over the courtyard, not to mention he probably had his rifle's scope. She watched him as he disappeared at the end of the corridor, and she turned the doorknob and pushed the door. The fresh air of the evening flung into her face and lungs, and she took as deep breath and she stepped into the yard and sat on the ground, her back leaning against a pillar. She closed her eyes, slowly realising how lucky she was to have gotten out of this prison in the BLU base.

So. Damn. Lucky.

For now.

* * *

 **And here is Chapter 2. Kate as a character is slowly taking shape as she negotiates her place within the base. Some of the mercs accept her presence, some don't, some haven't made up their mind yet - but next chapter, we'll get some action going.**

 **Also, those of you who have read my other fanfic Tales of Mercenaries will have recognised _Hacker_ , one of my OCs. I didn't intend on including my other OCs in this story initially, but then I figured she was the right person to dig into the BLU database and try and figure out what happened to Kate. So this story unexpectedly turns out to be a sort of sequel to my other one, but not really, because Hacker will only make one cameo and you don't need to know her background or the exact nature of her connection to the team to make sense of her presence. **

**As usual reviews and criticism would be most appreciated to help me make this story better! Lots of love, see you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Pyro's big project

**Hello again! Third chapter to this fanfiction - slightly shorter than usual, but I need to finish some work for school so unfortunately I had to cut it short. Hope you'll still enjoy it! Thanks for following/faving this story HeadCollector and macblur, and shoutout to GeminiLadyi21 for the lovely review!**

* * *

Pyro couldn't be happier. For ages, they had wanted to have a roommate, but things being as they are, they were never able to convnce any of the other mercs to share a room with them. Most of them enjoyed their rare moments of solitude too much to give them up, and even those who would have considered ended up refusing: Scout said he didn't want to live in such a girly room, and Demo argued that he snored too much and didn't want Pyro to have to bear with it. Of course, Pyro was far from stupid and knew it was just an excuse, but they didn't insist and kept their own room for themselves, giving up all hope on ever sharing it with anyone. That girl they found in the enemy basement was a blessing – or a gift from fate. When the mercs had discussed where she was to sleep while Miss Pauling decided on her fate back in HQ, Pyro had immediately volunteered: they had a bunk bed and the bottom one was only occupied by their stuffed animals. The others couldn't refuse. Not to mention that it would mean someone would keep an eye on her and make sure she wouldn't go out and about in the middle of the night. Everybody was satisfied with the outcome, and it was agreed that the unsuspecting Kate would stay with Pyro. The little firebug was delighted. Ever since Kate had given them this small smile of gratitude after they cooked her eggs and bacon, they had decided they would become friends with her. That's how Pyro was. Clingy, affectionate, naïve. A big ball of fluff and love made human. With an inclination to pyromania.

Sitting on a pile of cushions in the middle of their room, they stared at Kate as the young woman walked into the room, visibly intimidated and uncertain. She looked around the room: a rather large one, with the bunk beds and their white and pink bedsheets, the walls covered with bright, colourful posters and drawings, the desk packed with sketchbooks and colour pencils, sharpies, and paints, the thick, comfortable rug on the floor, and the cushions and blankets scattered everywhere. Very girly, very childish too, but undeniably cosy. A little haven of peace and kindness in the middle of an absurd war.

"Hey, I like your room. It's really nice and pretty." She finally said, still looking around, a bit of uncertainty in her voice; not because she wasn't being sincere, but because she had no idea how to behave towards Pyro. It was one thing, reading the comics online and imagining how the character was, and facing them for real. Who knew, maybe they'd set her on fire if she said something she wasn't supposed to say. She clung onto Engie's reassuring words to convince herself she had nothing to fear. Pyro, after all, was the only one who had shown no sign of hostility towards her since she got here.

Pyro clapped their hands and hmpphed their happiness at the compliment. They stood up, grabbed Kate by the arm, and sat her down on her newly-designated bed. She quietly obeyed and crossed her arms around herself. The mercs didn't find any personal belongings in the enemy basement or in the pod, so they had to improvise: her pyjamas consisted of one of Scout's shorts and a t-shirt she borrowed from Engie – it was too big for her and looked like a dress. Dressed in their own pyjamas, a unicorn onesie, Pyro noticed her gesture.

"Hmm hmmu mhhold?"

"Yeah, a little. But it's okay, I'm probably just tired and… Oh boy."

Kate didn't have time to finish her sentence: Pyro immediately grabbed some blankets and threw them at Kate before wrapping their guest in it, like she was a giant Christmas present. Alright. She definitely wouldn't be cold that night.

"Well, thanks Pyro. I feel much better now." She said with a smile, even though she could barely move. Pyro nodded with a happy sound. Kate relaxed a little. Alight, Pyro did seem genuinely nice and adorable. Maybe she was too trusting, but to hell with that. She had a long day. And she really _really_ wanted to have at least one friend in the base if she was going to stay here for more than 24h.

"Hey Pyro, tell me. Engie said that you really wanted a roommate before I came in. Can I ask you why you wanted a roommate so bad?" she asked. Pyro hands started fidgeting on their lap.

"Hmmhph hm hmred hmmn hmy hmown. Hmh hmomers hmm mhmhy hmhmt hoo mphlay hmth hmee."

"The others don't want to play, huh? Yeah, they don't seem to be the playing type. Must get a little boring for you in here." Pyro nodded, and Kate could feel a vague sadness in the air. "Well, guess what. I know you guys still think I might be an enemy and whatnot, but since I'm here, we could play a game." Kate could have sworn she saw Pyro's eyes lightening up behind their thick mask. "What kind of games would you have wanted to play with a proper roommate?"

"HMMPH HMIMHOHMPHORT!"

"A _pillowfort_?" Kate repeated, incredulous. She _loved_ pillowforts, but had never owned enough pillows to make one. For the first time since she woke from the pod, she felt impatient and excited. God it felt good. "Heck yes, let's make a pillowfort! We can use the bunk beds too!"

Pyro's squeak was probably as close as they could get to a cry of joy with this mask on. They immediately started gathering all the cushions, pillows and blankets in the room – which was a lot – while Kate wiggled out of her multiple layers of blankets and joined in. For a moment, she forgot about her situation, and if it hadn't been for Pyro's very identifiable mask, she would have thought she was just having a pyjama party with a friend back home. The relief she then felt made her realised how anxious she had been all day, with the others watching over her like she was going to pull off a knife and stab them all in the back the minute they wouldn't pay attention anymore. She knew she had to gain their trust, if not for survival (since Miss Pauling had ordered them to keep her safe and sound), at least so that she wouldn't go mad, feeling like a prisoner among them. But how?

* * *

Pyro hung some of the blankets to the top bed and showed Kate how to build a rather elaborate tunnel leading from the bottom bed to the door, slaloming between the stuffed animals that had been thrown on the floor. Over the next two hours or so, Pyro's comfy room turned into a proper pillow fort – it could honestly qualify as a pillow fortress, at this stage. There was an inch of the floor that wasn't covered with pillows or blankets, and the bunk beds had turned into a remarkable fluffy castle. Sitting on the bottom bed, the architects of this magnificence high-fived each other – much to Pyro's delight. It was the moment someone chose to knock at the door.

"Hey Pyro, it's Engie. May I?"

Pyro hummed in agreement, but as soon as Engie opened the door, they waved at him to stay outside, before pointing at his shoes frantically. Engie's expression as he gazed upon the huge pillowfort and Pyro was priceless.

"Damn, what happened here? Did ya have a decoration party?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Apparently Pyro really wanted to have a pillowfort in here, so I thought I'd help out." Kate said, bringing her legs against her. Pyro nodded enthusiastically and put their arm around her shoulders. Engie felt slightly concerned at how easily Pyro seemed to place their trust in this young woman, about whom they still knew pretty much nothing, but he couldn't repress a little smile. He'd always felt guilty for never find the time to help Pyro with their pillowfort. He was glad Pyro managed to find at least one friendly hand. Kate could feel the merc's slight uneasiness, but he spoke again before she could say anything.

"Well, ya two seem to be gettin'on just fine, so I'll get back to mah workshop. Just wanted to check on ya. G'night y'all."

"Hmpph mhmight hmphie!"

"G'night Engineer. Sorry again for all the trouble."

Engie stopped as he was going to close the door. Kate bit her tongue. She just kept on apologizing, to Sniper, to Engie. She was going to come across as annoying. Even more so if they thought her suspicious. Damn. But when she looked again, Engie had a little, understanding smile.

"Hey, no worries, pardner. Ya just get a good night rest, and tomorrow we'll all have a clearer mind to think about all this. And call me Engie, will ya."

Well, that was better than nothing. Obviously, he still had his reserves about her, like they all did, but it would seem they were less hostile to her than she thought. Well, considering she wasn't armed and had been certified physically underperforming by their Medic, they probably knew they would take her down any moment if she showed any sign of hostility, so they didn't really need to worry. Very reassuring.

"Hmph hmm hmphead hm hmphook?"

"Read a book? Sure, what do you want to read?"

Pyro took out a book from their shelf: The Treasure Island. Kate couldn't repress a smile. It was one of her favourite books. She'd always loved pirates when she was younger, even wanted to be one when she was about twelve. She ended up studying history instead, but her affection for the ships and adventures of her childhood had never wavered. The two of them started reading out loud, sharing the dialogues between them, until way past conventional bedtime – until they both fell asleep, the book lying open on Kate's stomach.

* * *

When Kate woke up the next morning, she felt slightly dizzy as her head was hanging out of the bed – she must have drifted off during the night. Still half-asleep, she tried to grab the bed's bar to get back on, but realized only too late that her whole body was too close to the edge of the mattress. Before she could react, she slipped, let out a small scream and fell flat on the floor – luckily for her, it was still covered with pillows. She moaned as she sat up. Her knee had bumped against the bedframe, and when she looked at it, she could see a bruise was already forming. Great. Moodily, she looked at the bed – empty. Pyro was already out. What time was it? She could see her roommate's uniform was still on the chair, so it couldn't be too late in the morning. She got up and decided to muster up her courage and go to the common room. In the corridor, she could smell coffee and bacon. Breakfast time, apparently. As she got closer to the dining/common/rec room, she could hear the conversations getting louder. A happy, loud mix of different voices and accents. She grew slightly nervous. Wasn't she going to kill the mood? But she didn't even have time to think and walk back: the door opened on Pyro, still wearing their pyjamas. They let out a happy mumbling when they saw her, before grabbing her arm and pulling her into the room. Before she could protest, she was facing all the other mercs.

"Morning missy. Pyro was just telling us about your little fort construction last night." Engie said. "Come an'have breakfast, help yourself to anythin' you'd like."

Feeling like she was slowly blushing while the other mercs looked at her, she happily let Pyro take the initiative: they took her hand and led her to an empty chair between them and Engie, Medic sitting across the table next to Heavy.

"Guten Morgen Fraulein. How are ve feeling zhis morning?" asked the German doctor.

"Better, I suppose. I don't feel like I'm going to collapse every step I take anymore, at least."

"Excellent! Zhe vitamins I gave you must be vorking. A solid breakfast, and you should make a speedy recovery."

Yeah, vitamins. Right. She wasn't even sure she wanted to know what he _actually_ put into her system. Pigeon blood? _Don't think about it too much, Kate. Not for breakfast_.

"So, what the programme for today?" she asked, trying to make casual conversation. If you could have casual conversations with a group of mercenaries, anyway. In the meantime, Pyro brought her a bowl of cereals drowning in cold chocolate. Adorable. Kate was starting to consider adopting Pyro. She thanked them with a smile.

"Well, considering the BLUs have left the base we found ya in yesterday, it's probably worth goin' back there. See if we can find anythin' else. Maybe they left your ID or other personal belongings somewhere."

"The spook's already there, roight?" Sniper asked as he walked past their side of the table, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a #1 Sniper mug with hot coffee inside. "Is the Sheila comin' with us?"

"Yeah I think she should. Who knows, seein' the place again might trigger some memories of how she got there in the first place." Kate nodded, digging in her bowl of chocolate-bathed cereals. If she could make herself useful by complying to whatever they wanted her to do, she was more than happy to do it. She also wanted to see the basement, too. See where she'd been apparently locked in for a whole year before waking up on Medic's chair.

"Hey, doll, mind passin' me the jam over here?" Scout's obnoxious voice suddenly shouted at the other end of the table. "Just toss it, I'll catch it! Imma baseball pro!" he added as she was standing up to bring him the pot.

"Not sure that's a good idea, lad." Demo remarked before pouring himself another shot of his morning whisky. Kate wasn't sure that was a good idea either, so she aimed, and threw the pot at Scout. He didn't even need to move: it landed right into his hands.

"Nice toss." He said with a grin.

"I used to play handball when I was younger." Kate said, with a tint of pride.

"How 'bout baseball? D'ya play baseball?"

"Scout, don't try to abuse her patience, will ya." Engie said with a chuckle. "Trust me, ya don't wanna get him started. He'll wear you off in an instant, and I think our good Doctor wants ya to get some rest."

"Ja, no sports for at least one week! Zhen ve'll see how it goes."

"Y'all are boring." Scout mumbled. Kate tried not to smile.

"Anyway, let's all get ready and see what Spy's been up to. Sniper, mind if we use your van and mah truck? I need to bring some of mah equipment to work on the pod."

"Yea, that's fine." The Aussie nodded. Kate's cereals had disappeared down her stomach. She took Sniper's agreement to lend his van as a signal to get and get ready. She ran back to Pyro's room, took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, made sure her tracking bracelet was still working, put on the clothes she had been lent the day before, and made her way outside. Time to shed some light on all this mystery.


End file.
